Auckland Council is working with local iwi to give six of its regional parks Māori names as part of its Te Kete Rukuruku programme.
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Ambury, Glenfern, Long Bay, Ōmana, Shakespear and Wenderholm regional parks will all be given Māori names by mana whenua.
Five parks will have a Māori named added to the existing English name, to create a dual Māori and English name, while Ōmana Regional Park, where the current name is an abbreviated version of an historical pā site, will have its full and appropriate name confirmed and restored through the programme.
Mayor Phil Goff says its the council’s vision that “te reo Māori is seen, heard, learned and spoken in everyday life”.
“We also want to help Aucklanders be knowledgeable and proud of the Māori identity and history of our city.”
The names may reflect the local Māori history relating to the area, a cultural activity connected to the site or an important landscape feature. Or, an original ancestral name may be returned.
Auckland Council Māori Outcomes Manager Anahera Higgins says Te Kete Rukuruku is led by mana whenua in partnership with Auckland Council and its local boards.
“It has been a great outcome to have names and narratives returned to the areas across Auckland over the past year. There are many wonderful stories that a lot of locals may have not known about in their area.
The programme has seen the return of 34 ancestral names so far, with six local boards adopting first tranche of names, including Whau, Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu, Manurewa, Waitākere and Henderson-Massey.
